Lamp-protector.



R. L. BEACH.

MM? PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED mm 9. 191a.

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h OEELAIQ'G-E, NEVJ JERSEY, ASSIGNOB, TO GENERAL ELECTRIC EQMIPANY, A CORPORATIQN OF NEW YORK. I.

LAMP-PRGTECTOR Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 193?.

Application filed May 9, 1916. Serial Z! 0. 96,334.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, RALPH L. BEACH, a citizen of the United States, residin at Orange, county of Essex, State oi. New Jersey, have invented certain new and usei'ul improvements in Lamp-Protectors, 01' which the following is a specification.

ltlany fragile articles such as incandescent lamps and similar articles have some particularly delicate part, like the tip of an incandescent lamp, which is especially liable to injury by slight blows or rough handling. The methods commonly used for packing such articles do not provide ample protection for such parts, except at coniparatively great expense. I

The ob'ect of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive support or protector which can be cut as a flat blank from paper stock or paste board, requires no. paste, and when in position furnishes ample protection for the delicate parts of the article. Another object is to provide a support or tip protector which is especially suitable i'or incandescent lamps, requires very little skill to use and firmly supports the article in the box or carton in which i is packed. To this end, I cut fromflat paper or other suitable stock a blank suitably shaped to form a shield or protector for the delicate part of the-object and provided with depressions or perforations to coiipcrate with and grip the fragile object where it is rugged and capable of sustaining the shocks and strains incident to shipping and handling. In some cases, I make lines of weakness on the blank to facilitate bending it into the proper form.

The lamp or fragile article is packed in a carton .or box, in which the support or ti protector is inserted and forms a support which grips the sides of a lam for example, and covers the tip without touching it, so that the tip is thoroughly shielded by the support or tip protector. This blank is so shaped that when in place in the carton its free edges are firmly held in place and supported by the walls of the carton to hold the blank in firm gripping engagement with the lamp.

My invention will best be understood in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in which merely for purposes of illustration I have shown some of the various forms in which my invention may be embodied and of a in which Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of tip protector or support for an incandescent lamp; Fig. 2 is a side view of the tip protector in place upon the lamp; Fig. 3 is an end view at right angles to the plane of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view in perspective with part of the carton broken away and showing the ti protector When the lamp is packed in its carton; Fig. 5 is a plan view modified form of the blank shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a view of one way of locking the base of the lamp in place in the car- In the particular form of packing shown in Fig. 1 each lamp, particularly if it is large'and heavy, is packed in a separate box or carton, as shown in Fig. 4. Usually these boxes are square, but they may be made of any shape and with any number of sides. Even though the lamp fits tightly in the box it may move lengthwise of the box and if it does, the tip may be injured. To prevent injury to the tip I provide a tip protector or lamp support which is positioned in the box, as shown in Fig. & to firmly engage and grip the lamp near the tip and support the lamp so firmly in the box that longitudinal movement toward the tip and in ury to the tip is prevented.-

VVhere the box is of the usual construction with four sides at right angles to one another, as a matter of convenience I prefer tomake the support or-tip protectorseparate and distinct from the blank of which the box is made, although it could be formed as a part of and remain attached to said blank, if desired. The tip protector when made separate is preferably in the form of a flat blank, usually rectangular in outline, as shown in Fig. l, and transversely weakened in the middle along a line 10, so that'lhe two ends can easily be bent toward each other to form a pair of jaws 11 for gripping the sides of a lamp. Each of these jaws is so shaped that when the support is in place it will firmly grip the bulb of the lamp and support it so as to prevent the tip of the lamp coming into contact with the sides or bottomof the box. I prefer to shape each jaw 11 so that it can fit around and grip firm-ly :.=some part ofthe bulb of the lamp. One way to attain this result is to provide each jaw with an aperture or depression 12. The width of the blank for the protector is such that when folded it will fit snugly in the box. For a four sided box the width of the blank along the line 10 is approximately the same asf'the length of a diagonal from one corner of the box to another. so that when the blank is folded it will fit snugly into the two diagonally pposite, cprnersand will beheld against movement.

The blank is very easily inserted in.the box when folded along the line 10. The lamp. drsimilar article is then putinto the box,.eniering between the jaws of theproteeter and spreadingthem out until their upper orfree edges are against-the walls st the box and the lamp is firmly gripped .-'and supported with the tip spaced away from the bottom of the box; The configuration of the'blank for the tip upon the kind of box with which it is to be used and is such that the jaws 11 conform alo their free edges to. the shape of the walls or the particular-style of box selected so that the free edges of the jaws are firmly supported throughout. their length. For a four sided hox'tbis result may be attained by making the outline. of, the blank either rectangular, or hexagonal, as shown in'Fig.

5. =To insure that the upper edges of the jaws 11 will. be. supported. thpoughout their Smlengthby the walls ofthe-box, I provide the bldnkwith other lines of. weakness to facilitate. the bending of thejaws ll into the proper forni. For example, where a four sided box having; fiat walls and square corners is used, I provide a rectangular blank with-lines 13 extending diagonally frm the ends of the line 10 across the corners of the jaws 11. so that these corners will bend to form wings 14: which stifien 40. thejaws and strengthen them against bendingwhen they grip the sides of the lamp bulb. -Tllie free edges of the jaws 11 along the-lines 13 lie against and are held in ip ping position by the fiat sides of the ox', Whilethe wings 14 lie practically fiat along the box wall and reinforce the jaws 11.

Where the material of the blank is suliicientlyheavjr the stiffening action of the wings is not required and in that case they pm be omitted, the blank then, as shown in ig. 5, being out along the'lines 13 instead ofw being merely weakened. In this case the blank is hexagonal in outline, insteedof rectangular, its edgesbeingformed 5511b) the lines 13. As shown in Fig. 4, when theilamp is in place in the box it is firmly supportedrby the tip protector and the tip is fully protected. The lamp is preferably lockedtinrthe box so that it cannot move mevhenthe box ishandled. In the preferred construction as shown in Fig. 4 the box is made of such aleng th that when the base of the lamp lies in one of the upper corners of the box and the box is closed, the ptjxlamp is. locked by the cover of the box and of my protector depends a by Letters Patent; of the United States, is,--

"said bodyby insertion in said ma am cannot be moved. The lamp may also, shown in Fig. 6, be locked in lace by rneans ot'a notch '15 the cover, w ic grips the base when the cover is in place to close the x. lthough I have shown and described my invention more particularly Withre ten,

ence to incandescent lamps, it is of general utility in packing and shipping fragile articles, particularly those which have tips, 15 handles, or similar rejecting portions that are easily injured. invention may also be embodied in other forms than those herein discmd, and l desire to cover all changes and modificat ons within the spiritpo invention and the scope of the ap pended claims' What-I claim as new and desire to secure 1. An incandescent-lamp package CORD-- prising a protective she-ll for the lamp and a tip protector comprising hinged cooperating jaws shaped to grip and support the bulb ofthe lamp with its tip free of the jaws and shell, said jaws having-free edges which throughout substantially their Whole length conform to the shape oi the walls of said shell and are in firm contact with said walls to-hold said jaws in place upon the lamp. t5

9. A package for fragile articles comprising'a shell for. the article and a support for insertion in the shell comprising a'blank of a width to fit snugly in the shell; and provided with a line of weakness tofacilitate bending of said blank into coiJ'perating jaws having fiat port-ions perforated toform supports-for engaging saidbody at different points and brought into gripping position on shell and shaped to have free. edges which throughout substantially their whole extent conform toand engage the Walls of the shell.

3. A support for fragile bodies inclosed in a shell having four fiat walls bornprisin a flat blank of a width to fit snugly in said shell and having a transverse line of weakness in the middle to permit bending said blank to form two hinged jaws, each of which when in place forms a di-hedral angle with the bottom of the shell and a tri-hedral angle with two walls, said blank also having other straight lines of weakness extending at acute angles from said transverse line to define free edges for said jaws so shaped that substantially all the edges and ends of said jaws rest against the flat walls of the shell when said support is in place.

4. An incandescent lamp package comprising a poly-hedral shell and a support formed from a blank having a line ofweakroealong said score line a width equal to a transverse diagonal of sald shell and having other score lines extending at an angle from the ends of said transverse line to define free edges of a shape to be firmly supported throughout their length by the walls of said shell when said support is in place.

5. A support for a bulbular article inclosed in a fourwalled shell with square corners comprising a rectangular blank equal in width to the distance diagonally across the bottom of said housing and transversely scored at the middle to permit said blank to fold into a pair of jaws and diagonally scored from the ends of said transverse score across each corner to form free edges which engage and are supported by the flat walls of said shell, each of said jaws bein provided in the Hat portion between 'saic score lines with an aperture to receive and support a part of the article in the shell.

6. A package comprising a shell having four fiat walls for inclosing the article to be packed and a fiat blank adapted to be folded into a Vshaped support and inserted in said shell, said blank being perforated on opposite. sides of the fold to engage said body at opposed points and hold it out of contact with the bottom of the support, the fiat-sides of said support being shaped to cause their edges to conform to and be held in position by the fiat walls of the shell.

7. A support for articles inclosed in a flat walled shell comprising a blank scored at the middle to permit folding to form a pair of flat jaws for gripping said article and shaped at the ends to cause said jaws when inserted in the shell to be supported along substantially all their free edges by the walls of the shell, said blank being perforated to provide in each jaw an aperture to receive and support a part of the article.

8. A support for articles inclosed in a shell comprising a pair of jaws shaped to en-.

gage and support opposite sides of the article and having a hinged portion wide enough to extend across the shell and fit snugly therein to prevent end play of said hingedportion and with their free edges so shaped that substantially all said free edges rest firmly against the walls of the shell when said support is in place in the shell with the article between said jaws.

9. A support for articles in a shell with four flat walls, consisting of a rectangular blank having a transverse line of weakness at its middle and four straight lines of weakness extending diagonally across the corners to form from each corner of the blank a flat tab which lies flat against the walls when said support is in place, said blank being perforated on each side of said transverse line and between said diagonal lines.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of May, 1916.

RALPH L. BEACH. 

